Passing the news (Backpost)
Posted on Thu Jul 3rd, 2014 @ 6:32pm by Commodore Kathleen O'Shea & Petty Officer 1st Class Arianna D'Tal
Mission:
New Frontier
Location: USS Merlin - O'Shea's Quarters
Timeline: Right after Moving On
A few minutes after having been asked to show up at Kathleen's quarters, Darok stood there, pressing the chime.
He'd been making some rounds through the ship, performing general inspections on various things. With Jasmine, and their son now gone to Vulcan, Darok did everything he could to keep himself busy.
At the sound of the chime Kathleen sat the PADD in her hand down onto an ever growing pile. She sat back in her chair and stretched before replying. "Come in." The door opened to allow Darok to enter. "Ahhh...punctual as always. Please, have a seat. We need to talk." During the time it took Darok to move from the door to a chair, two more alerts sounded from Kathleen's main terminal. A quick glance was all she needed to see the messages could wait.
"You know that punctuality has always been one of my strong suits." He said as he took a seat, noting the pile of PADDs on her desk, and the somewhat chaotic surface thoughts he was getting from her. "Based on the pile on your desk, and the chaos in your mind, I'm going to assume that you have something interesting to tell me."
Her eyes twinkled in a way that they had not for a long time. "Oh, yes...you could say that. I am being re-assigned. And before you comment, it is a good thing. A very good thing." She picked up a PADD off the pile and handed it to Darok.
"You're being reassigned..." It was more of a statement, than a question, as he raised an eyebrow. "I hope they don't expect me to take command of the Merlin." While it may not have been the comment Kathleen expected, it was a true reflection of his honest thoughts.
"Like they would trust you with her." She quipped. "But seriously...what do you think? This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
He finally took the PaDD from her, reading it over, before setting it back down on the desk. According to what he'd read, Kathleen was being re-assigned to a starbase out on the fringes of the frontier, which had taken heavy damage during the Kzinti invasion of the Federation. "Interesting to say the least, though I must admit that I am curious why you would take such an assignment." Although he had no objections to such an assignment, he wondered why it would appeal so much to her. "It's not every day someone seems so eager to take command of a Starbase that has been so heavily damaged."
"Seriously?" She commented with a quizzical look, snatching the PADD back from Darok. Then she realized it was missing a critical component. "Oh...my bad. Anyway, I'll just tell you. I'm getting a Corps of Engineers division command. Not only that, they are letting me do the station however I choose to do so. Deck plans, equipment, personnel...anything and everything."
"Corps of Engineers?" He raised both eyebrows on this comment. While he had only a small bit of engineering experience, even he knew the implications of this. "That sounds very promising, and useful... However you do realize the amount of time, and effort that will be needed to make this station habitable, and useful again, don't you?"
Another quizzical look. "Am I to understand that the great Darok D'Tal for once doesn't relish the thought of a good challenge?" She leaned back in her chair, studying the Vulcan. "This is...not you, Darok. Is everything ok?"
Darok sighed, lightly as he looked at her. "Forgive me Kathleen." He said simply. "Since Jasmine, and our son have left the ship to live on Vulcan... Let's just say that it has taken a bit of a toll on me." He sat back in the chair, and a small spark of life came to his eyes. "How quickly do you believe you can have this station up, and running?"
"I've already started the process. Sharper left with a team about thirty minutes ago to head for the station to see what it will take to get the power back on. We are headed to Starbase 343, where I will disembark with a select group of the crew who is choosing to stay with me. I would hope that you would be included in that group."
Before he could answer the door chime rang.
'Maybe my office at the station will be well hidden.' "Come on in and join the party."
They both turned to see Arianna come through the now open doors, carrying a PaDD. "Field repairs to the ship are almost complete. I'd say the engineers at the starbase won't have anything left to do, but buff a few scratches in the paint job." She said as she came to attention, handing the PaDD to her father. "This is the final report."
Darok skimmed over the report, before sliding it across the desk to Kathleen. "Arianna, there is something you should know." He told her simply. "You are being reassigned."
"Really?" Arianna replied, trying her best to hide the sudden excitement she felt. "To what position?"
"It's not as simple as that, Arianna." Darok replied. His facial expression was completely stoic, hiding any emotion he might have felt. "You're being reassigned to Starbase 80, where you will serve as Yeoman for the Executive Officer there."
Arianna looked confused for a moment. "You mean... I'm leaving the ship?"
"That's right, Arianna." Darok told her. "Any time someone puts on that uniform, we accept the responsibilities, consequences, and risks of doing so."
Arianna sighed defeatedly. She didn't want to leave her father, or the people she had made friends with. "Well... Can you tell me who this person is?"
"Captain Darok D'Tal." Darok said with a grin.
"We're going to a starbase!?" Arianna 's face finally lit up with excitement as her father's words hit her. "Thank you, daddy!"
"Don't thank me." Darok said, gesturing towards Kathleen. "She's the one that presented the option."
Arianna turned to Kathleen, giving a crisp salute. "Thank you, Commodore." She said with a bright smile. "I promise I'll do my best not to let you down."
Kathleen was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh I doubt that you could ever do that. Besides, it wouldn't be the same without you there." She looked back at Darok. "Either of you. I would have never made it this far without you, my friend."
"I have some other reports to gather, so I'm going to get back to work." Arianna said, then turned to leave.
"One more thing, Arianna." Darok said.
At his words, Arianna turned to look at him, standing yet again at attention. "Yes, Captain?"
"In recognition of your outstanding service as my Yeoman, I'm giving you a promotion." Darok said simply as he stood to his feet. "I hereby grant you a field promotion to the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class, with all the rights, and responsibilities of that rank." He said as he placed another rank bar on her uniform.
Arianna couldn't help but smile now. She moved to give Darok a hug, holding him tight for a moment. "Thank you, daddy!" After a moment, she got her composure back, and moved to stand at attention. "I mean, thank you Captain. I will do my best to make you proud."
"I know you will, Petty Officer." Darok said with a light smile. "Now, if I remember correctly, you have some reports to gather. You're dismissed."
"Yes sir." She said with a smile, then headed out the door.
"And that is why I chose to bring her aboard." Darok said as he turned back to Kathleen, sporting a smirk. "And I believe that also answers your question."
"I knew you couldn't pass up a challenge like this. Now, to answer your question, Rough estimates are around 6 months for basic operational ability, but much longer for full restoration. Even so, we have an office complex on the planet itself, so at least we have a warm, dry place to hang out when we wish." Kathleen paused for a moment, an impish smile spreading across her face. "And then, there is the beach."
"Last time I was at a beach, I was making a romantic gesture to someone, I will likely never see again." Darok explained simply. "Upon our arrival, I will check over the Intel, and medical facilities to ensure that they are ready for proper use. Medical is the most important area to have prepared, in case of injuries."
"Uh...well, don't expect too much when you get there. The entire medical section is a massive cave. Even some of the decks are missing. We get to built that from scratch. And I'll bet intel was worked over thoroughly as well.
"Then a temporary medical facility will be required to be setup." Darok explained as he thought about the situation. "Also I can just use my quarters as my Intel office, until that is setup again."
"Eventually we will have a full service hospital on the station that can serve the entire sector. And the Corps will apparently be building quite a few smaller medical facilities throughout the region as well." Starfleet and the Federation were coming to stay this time.
"Once that hospital is functional, it will be quite busy for at least a few months." Darok told her simply. "I'm sure this sector hasn't had much in the way of proper medical facilities in quite some time."
"I don't believe that this sector has had much in the way of any facilities in some time, Darok. That's what we are here for. We get to bring gifts to the natives."
"And I'm willing to bet those natives are restless." Darok said with a slight smirk. "I think this might very well be an interesting experience."
A smirk. "Darok, I have come to expect anything that we do to be an interesting experience. Anyhow...that's all the info I have for now. Rosaleen has already left for the Station, and to make contact with the local governing authorities. Hopefully she will be able to give us a better status on the station withing the week."
"I look forward to hearing her report." Darok replied. "You know... I believe such a stationary environment as the station might prove to be just what Arianna needs to help her adjust to the changes in her life."
"Why is that?" Darok's statement had surprised Kathleen a bit.
"The station will be exceptionally larger than any starship that she would serve on, and would give her more ground to work with." Darok explained simply. "The only real worry that I'd have with her is the likelihood of a rather substantial number of beings coming and going from the station, since she does not do well with new people."
"Then this will be a good experience for her. And do remember, she has come a long way since first stepping foot onboard." That was almost an understatement, especially considering that she almost ended up in a penal colony. Only Darok and Kathleen's connections prevented that from becoming reality.
"She has also expressed a desire to join Starfleet Academy next year, when she turns 18." He explained. "With our connections, I believe we may be able to have her follow through with the academy right on the station, and not have to wait until her 18th birthday... What do you think?"
"I see no reason why we couldn't do that. Who knows...she may not be the only one."
"That is a possibility." Darok replied simply. "When are we scheduled to make way for Starbase 80?"
"Not for a bit, although I will probably send you out as soon as I can. Have to report to Starbase 343 first. I have a lot of stuff that has to be done."
"I'm off duty tomorrow." He said simply. "I can use that time to pack, and be ready to go by tomorrow evening."
"Go ahead and get ready, then. I want eyes out there I can trust as soon as possible. You can take what you want out of the flight line inventory."
"I'd rather finish my last shift here, before I start packing, Kathleen." Darok explained. "It is the least I can do, since it will be my last on this ship."
Kathleen's features softened. "It's really strange...to think about that. After all we have been through on her. How much we fought to keep her..." Her voice trailed off as she went someplace else in her mind.
"A wise man once said that for every new beginning, something must end." Darok said after a moment. "I think we've grown from our experiences here, but I also think it's time to move on to better things."
The classic O'Shea smirk. "Well I would never presume to argue logic with you, Darok. It's like playing poker with Telair...you have lost before even starting."
"You know what they say, Kathleen." Darok gave her a light smirk of his own. "With age comes wisdom, and I think I have you beat."
"True...but remember we still don't know how long I will live yet, so I may beat you yet." Since the exposure to the nanites introduced metaphasic radiation to Kathleen, the changes associated with her 'other' side were still not completely understood.
"There are a lot of things we don't know about you yet." Darok explained. He thought about what they had learned of her rather unique physiology over the last 2 years. "I'm worried about what could happen, if you lose control."
"C'mon, Darok...you know me. I'm a stone when it comes to control." She replied with a quirky smile. "Besides, nothing in me is that powerful anyway. It's just parlor tricks."
"You don't know that for sure, Kathleen." Darok replied simply. "For all you know, with the way the temperature changes with your mood, you could lose control in a crowded room, and flash freeze every one of the people in that room in seconds... Not that I think you would, mind you."
"You give me much more credit than I deserve. It's not like I can create a hurricane, freeze time, or move things just by looking at them." A soft chime sounded on her console. She glanced at it and summarily ignored it. "There are a lot of races a lot more gifted than I could ever think of being. Including Vulcans. Besides...this will probably all fade away with time and I will be back to plain, boring Kathleen."
"What you're saying is possible." Darok admitted. "However, since your nanite infection, your body has been undergoing changes at a genetic level, so anything is possible. Just keep that in mind."
"You worry too much, my friend. Now...begone. I need a long, hot bath and some sleep. Might as well get it while I can."
"I have my rounds to finish up anyway." Darok said as he stood up. "Would you like to have Dinner with Arianna, and myself before I head out to the Station?"
'I have so much to do, but...' I would love to. I need the break anyway. So, what's on the menu?"
"I'm thinking of trying something different." He explained. "Have you ever tried the ancient Terran recipe called Swedish Meatballs?"
Kathleen thought to herself for a moment before answering. "I can't say that I have, Darok. Should I be afraid?"
"It's an old recipe I found in the computer." Darok replied with a smirk. "As long as I get it right, it seems like it will be an interesting change."
"Well make sure that you get it right, my friend." Her console chimed again. She sighed. "I guess I need to wrap up a couple of things myself so I can actually make dinner. I'll see you this evening."
"I need to finish my rounds anyway." Darok told her. "I will see you this evening." With that, Darok headed out of Kathleen's quarters to complete the remainder of his rounds.
Commodore Kathleen O'Shea
Commanding Officer
Starbase 80
&
Captain Darok D'Tal
Former Executive Officer - USS Merlin
Deep Cover Operative
Starfleet Inelligence Division
